I have always been fascinated with Easter Island, maybe one reason is my
family's history growing up in the Hawaiian Islands. It seemed unlikely I
would visit--until my trip to Chile, where I found it is an easy jet flight from
Santiago. Being there felt unreal at times, but was a dream come
true. The scenes I saw still create feelings of mystery today when I look
at the photos of this unique place.

Easter Island's story is one that holds an important lesson for all of us,
because the inhabitants were unwitting victims of their impact on the
environment. The island once had a moist climate with many trees and
plentiful food. The construction of these famous statues, called moai,
used wood from the forest. Even more important, ongoing battles between
the two native tribes living there were fought with fires, consuming more
precious forest. When enough trees were destroyed the climate changed and
the food supply disappeared. The ocean around the island did not have
enough fish to sustain the population and most of the people perished. As
a civilization, could our impact on this island in space where we live have the
same result? I believe we must be careful to not let such a catastrophe
catch us by surprise. No one understands just how much damage our
civilization can do to the Earth before an irreversible change endangers its
fragile beauty. I hope we never come close enough to know the
answer.

When people see pictures of moai from the island, called Isla de Pascua by the
Chilean people or Rapa Nui by the natives, there are always two questions: How old are the
statues? How big are they? The first statues were probably built
around 700 A.D. and the average statue is around four meters, or 12 feet tall
and weighs about 50 tons.

Those who have been treated for a heart attack or have a kidney transplant
may owe their lives to the remnants of this island's ecosystem. A drug
called Rapamune was discovered from a soil sample taken on Easter Island.
It was isolated from the bacterium Streptomyces hygroscopicus. The
drug prevents rejection of a transplanted kidney and also reduces the
formation of scar tissue after insertion of cardiac stents, small spring-like
coils of metal that are used to prop open clogged arteries in the
heart.

Human activities are destroying species and ecosystems at an unprecedented
rate. No one knows how many useful drugs have been wiped from the planet
by environmental carelessness. The adoption of practices that emphasize
sustainable farming, energy use, and land use is vital to preserving the species
that could benefit our health and survival.